FoodService Director | August 2012

The Wellness Challenge: Wellness is a concept with a lot of moving parts and definitions. However you define it, to dietitians the mission is clear: identify the problem, develop a program to address it and find the best ways to communicate the message. T

Under 30

Emeline Garcia, cafeteria assistant at Salida (Calif.) Union School District, was hired as a two-hour cafeteria helper. Billy Reid, child nutrition services director, says she quickly showed she wanted to work more than two hours a day. Garcia quickl

Jen Takara, café manager for Bon Appétit at Yahoo!, is our safety “Navy Seal,” says Robert Hart, general manager. Takara created, and continues to build on, a safety program. She has been an integral part of opening several

Steal this idea

To increase awareness around healthy choices we place demo plates at the entrance of the dining hall that have scoops of Crisco on them to show how much fat there is in each item. The plates show how...

Every year we partner with the Special Olympics to do a gourmet extravaganza featuring our chefs. This year they raised more than $27,000. The chefs also win a trip to a food festival. This event is...

We do our own patient satisfaction surveys by including a survey on every tray. With Press Ganey, the sample size is normally pretty small and patients take the survey several days after they return...

We create an entire food culture in our school, and we want that to extend to our parents as well. When parents come to pick up their kids after school, we take samples of food to the parking lot so...

We established a set of key performance indicators for our operations. We developed new financial statements for each unit that clearly indicate the target goal and actual performance, such as plate...

Confessions

Byron Sackett, child nutrition director at Lincoln County Schools in Lincolnton, N.C., wishes flavored, upscale coffees had never been created and would be a tomato farmer if he weren’t feeding children.

Going Green

Nutrition education is becoming an increasingly important aspect for child nutrition directors. With the new meal regulations in effect as of July 1, school meals must now include a wider variety of...

Similar culinary programs at two Pennsylvania CCRCs where the foodservice is managed by Cura Hospitality are giving some residents an education, or re-education, in cooking skills. At the same time,...

It was a decision that brought the duo recognition at Monday night’s MenuDirections 2015 awards ceremony in Memphis, Tenn., which is part of FoodService Director magazine’s annual conference geared towards foodservice operators and suppliers.